Julian Jaynes Society Forum: Exploring Consciousness and the Bicameral Mind Theory

General Discussion
General discussion regarding consciousness and the bicameral mind. Post your topic here only if it does not fit into a more specific category below. Posts unrelated to the topics of this forum will be removed.

News Items Related to Jaynes's Theory
Recent news relevant to Julian Jaynes's theory of consciousness and the bicameral mind.

Conferences, Events, and Local Discussion Groups
Announcements for conferences and events. If you'd like to organize a local discussion group in your area, list it here.

Book Discussion: Origin of Consciousness; Gods, Voices, and the Bicameral Mind; The Julian Jaynes Collection; Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness
Discussion and questions specific to The Origin of Consciousness; Gods, Voices, and the Bicameral Mind; The Julian Jaynes Collection; and Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness books.

Julian Jaynes
Discussion of anything related to Julian Jaynes the person, including biographical information and personal experiences.

The Nature of Consciousness: Its Features and Modes
Discussion of consciousness: what it is, what it isn't, Jaynes's ideas vs. other theorists, consciousness and language, studies of cognition in non-human species, etc.

Auditory Hallucinations in Normal Adults
Discussion of auditory hallucinations in the normal population.

Schizophrenia
Topics related to schizophrenia issues and treatment; schizophrenia as a vestige of the bicameral mind.

The Bicameral Mind: Breakdown, Neurological Model, Evolution, etc.
Discussion of the bicameral mind, Jaynes's neurological model, the dual brain concept and neuroscience research, present and historical.

Mind from 9000 B.C. to 1000 A.D.: Analysis of Classic Literature, Linguistics, and Ancient Civilizations
Analysis of ancient texts (such as the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Bible) and ancient civilizations as it pertains to the transition from the bicameral mind to consciousness.

The Mentality of Pre-Literate and Pre-Modern Peoples
The mentality of tribes, theories of primitive religion, the relationship of indigenous psychology to the bicameral mind.

Religion and the Bicameral Mind
Discussion of the implications of the bicameral mind theory for religion. Also neurotheology and the origin of religion.

Hypnosis, Possession, and Altered States of Consciousness
Discussion of hypnosis, trance states, and possession as vestiges of the bicameral mind.

Dreams & Consciousness
The function of dreams, the role of dreams in consciousness, bicameral (visitation) vs. conscious dreams, lucid dreams.

Consciousness and Hallucinations (Imaginary Companions) in Children
Discussion of the stages of consciousness development in children as well as hallucinations (imaginary companions).

Myths and Misconceptions About the Theory
People often misunderstand aspects of Jaynes's theory, and critiques of the theory are often based on misconceptions about the theory rather than what Jaynes actually said. We've created this section of the forum for users to post misconceptions that they find, along with clarifications.

The Bicameral Mind in Fiction, Film, and Popular Culture
Discussion of the influence of Jaynes's theory on works of fiction, film, and in popular culture.

Information for Students
Information for students interested in studying Julian Jaynes's theory, including grad school programs, internships, research topics, networking, etc.